Jean Baudrillard's concept of hyper-reality is first expressed in his essay Simulacra and Simulation (1981). His book illustrates the view of how hyperrealism can take many forms and
24 become a seamlessly integrated element of real life. Baudrillard questions what would happen in a situation where the real world becomes denied and only the Simulacra and simulation exist. It is his belief that this has already begun, as our reality is now a form of hyper-reality. Hyper- reality is so interwoven into our everyday lives that reality is no longer seen on its own but with hyper-reality as an extension of this truth. Baudrillard's concept of the Simulacrum explores his opinion that society can no longer distinguish between what is genuine reality and what is a Simulacrum or simulation. Writing in 1981, Baudrillard believed that we are now living in a world where simulations and Simulacra, such as advertising and reality shows, to name but two, have become so ingrained into our lives that we have begun to believe in them as true and normal features of existence (Baudrillard, 1981). The term 'simulation' is the event where reality and the Simulacra (the hyper-reality) blend into one another; where it has become
indistinguishable to tell where the Simulacra and reality begin and end. Baudrillard explains that this loss of the ability to distinguish between reality and the Simulacra is attributed to a few things that occur and have occurred in society, for example newspapers, who each give a
different version of a news story. Baudrillard has a different idea to Umberto Eco’s ideas on how hyperrealism functions. Baudrillard believes that todays’ reality has become hyper-real, believing that the images of hyper-reality are merely duplicated and grow until they envelope reality and thus make our reality into a hyper-reality, so we can no longer recognise what is truly real (Kroiz, 2002). Baudrillard explores this concept and the various instances in which a Simulacra will function and exist by using the example of a map to explain. He explains that there are four distinct stages of the Simulacra, explored in his chapter the Precession of Simulacra
(Baudrillard, 1981).
25 The earliest stage is, in fact, the sincerest version of a Simulacra. It is created with the intention to reflect the reality chosen and, although false, its intent is to create a replica that may even be correct and reflective of reality. This version of a Simulacra is a 'faithful' copy of the original reality. Baudrillard states that in the first stage any sign of a Simulacra being evident would be that it would be a "reflection of a profound reality" (Baudrillard, 1981). This implies that the image attempts to be pure in its imitation. An example of this would be a wax effigy of a person or a replica of a Western town (Eco, 1990). At first glance the town would appear to be an authentic Western town but upon closer inspection, although the intent of the creation is to portray something that is true, one would see that it is not quite the same.
The second stage of Simulacra is seen as a 'perversion' of the chosen reality. This is when the Simulacra has been created with the intent to deceive and make one believe that the copy is the true reality; a modern example of this could be seen in certain elements of Facebook.
Facebook is an interesting creation as its primary intent was for users to be able to post what was happening in their lives so distant friends and family could stay in touch and keep updated on each other's pursuits. From this, one can see that the earliest forms of Facebook were in fact reminiscent of the first stage of a Simulacra, a tool to navigate the social world (Kinder, 2012). Facebook has oddly, over more recent years, changed into the second stage of Simulacra as people use their posts to portray larger than life versions of their lives. Rather than portraying the actual version of themselves, they portray a Simulacra of what they think their ideal life should be, presenting a second stage image to others on Facebook that some believe to be true, thus making Facebook a form of the second stage of Simulacra.
The third stage is more difficult to explore as it is perceived more through possibility than reality. This stage is where the simulation is the new reality, as the original reality no longer
26 exists. This implies that it would be based on Baudrillard's example of the map, which is as though the actual planet earth was gone and the only version left of earth was a map. The map now becomes the new hyper-reality and ultimately the new reality as no distinction can be made because there is no longer an original to compare it to. The simulation masks the absence of the original reality and becomes the new reality. The viewer is unaware of this.
The fourth stage is what Baudrillard deemed to be a Simulacrum in its purest form. This is a Simulacra where the simulation will have no relation to any form of reality. This form of Simulacra would be alien to us, as we would not be able to relate to it. It would be experienced as if one had been born blind and then suddenly acquired sight. In this instance, the use of the sense of sight would be an alien thing to experience and the world would be unrecognisable as the sense of sight has never been used and therefore has no context in their understanding.